Several cities and counties in Southern California are offering free or discounted options to get to and from your New Year's Eve celebration, encouraging people to avoid drinking and driving.
In LA, people looking to party on New Year's Eve can avoid drinking and driving by taking advantage of free transit rides that will be offered throughout the Metro system.
All Metro buses and trains will be fare-free from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Train service will be offered around the clock for New Year's Day, but the free rides will end at 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Metro buses and trains will operate on a Sunday/holiday schedule on New Year's Day, but enhanced Gold Line rail service will be offered due to the crowds heading to Pasadena for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game. Gold Line trains will operate with three-car trains to increase capacity.
Metro officials noted that the Del Mar, Memorial Park, Lake and Allen stations on the Gold Line offer the best access to the parade route. People heading to the Rose Bowl Game can take a free shuttle bus from the Parsons parking lot, which is four blocks west of the Memorial Park rail station.
Long Beach Transit will also offer free rides on New Year's Eve, starting at 5 p.m.
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In addition, LBT will offer late night service on select routes, with some routes leaving the Transit Gallery on First Street between Long Beach Boulevard and Pine Avenue as late as 2:45 a.m. on New Year's Day.
LBT provides transportation services in Long Beach, Lakewood and Signal Hill, as well as Artesia, Bellflower, Carson, Cerritos, Compton, Hawaiian Gardens, Los Alamitos, Norwalk, Paramount and Seal Beach.
The complete list of routes and schedules is available on LBT's website www.ridelbt.com/newyear. Customers can also call 562-591-2301 or visit www.ridelbt.com for route planning assistance.
The ride-hailing service Lyft and the Orange County Transportation Authority will provide discounted or free rides on New Year's Eve to cut down on impaired driving during the holiday celebrations.
For the 18th year, OCTA will offer free rides on its buses from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, the first day of 2020.
“We encourage everyone to ring in the new year responsibly by taking advantage of the New Year's Eve OC Bus service,” OCTA Chairman Tim Shaw said.
“The free service makes celebrating the start of 2020 a breeze, allowing riders to leave their cars at home and not worry about finding a safe ride home.”
New Year's revelers can check the agency's website at OCBus.com to plan their trip. About 157,000 customers have taken advantage of the free rides on the holiday since it started in 2002.
Meanwhile, the Orange County Ride Smart Coalition is offering $10 coupons for New Year's Eve Lyft rides for Orange County residents. The discount can be accessed by using the OCNYE code in the ride service's app between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Lyft has pledged $25,000 in ride credits on the holiday and others through the year. Other organizations involved in the coalition include Fullerton police, Anaheim Ducks, Honda Center, Responsibility.org, the Observatory concert venue, Rockers Against Drunk Driving, Orange County Brewers Guild and the California Office of Traffic Safety.
Taking mass transit or other form of alternate transportation should be on the minds of anyone planning to drink alcohol during New Year's Eve celebrations, especially since law enforcement agencies will be out in full force looking for impaired motorists, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol will conduct a Maximum Enforcement Period, with all available personnel deployed, from 6 p.m. Tuesday through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
“Please make smart choices this holiday season,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said in a statement. “Whether impaired by alcohol or drugs, the result can lead to arrest, injury or death. Either way, the impact will be life-altering.”
